Firefly: The Unification War

As regular Scoop readers know, during the disruption caused by the COVID-19 virus, we’ve featured reviews of individual back issues, runs, collected editions, and original graphic novels that captured and held our attention over the long haul. Now that “new comics Wednesday” has returned in some form for many around the country, we’ve decided to continue including great older comics among our features. Remember, once your store is open, checking out their back issue bins is a great way to #BackTheComeback.

Firefly: The Unification War
BOOM!; $3.99 per issue

Based on the TV show of the same name, Firefly is set when Earth’s resources have been destroyed and humans began terraforming other planets and a central group of planets created the Alliance to establish rule over all, spawning a war, which they won. Many of the Independence fighters migrated to the edges of the system to avoid Alliance control as much as possible.

Captain Malcolm Reynolds and his crew stay on the edges, working as smugglers or whatever they can – within reason – outside of Alliance control. The series begins when their ship has malfunctioned on an unfamiliar moon where they take a quick and supposedly easy job that becomes increasingly problematical. As our heroes try to survive assaults on multiple fronts, the reader also learns more about the history of the Unification War.

Since Joss Whedon’s titles – Buffy the Vampire Slayer, Angel, and Firefly – moved to BOOM!, Firefly has been the standout best title, and I write that as a huge Buffy fan. This is due in very large part to the writing of Greg Pak. He took a straightforward perfectly Firefly premise, and infused it with rich content and thoughtful detail. What could’ve been a fun smash and grab story evolved with questions about the lines crossed in war, the similarities that can be found with enemies, and the point when ideology meets real world casualties. Pak utilizes the show’s style of dialogue, captures the personalities of the characters, and gives the book the necessary humor.

It’s a great read for fans of the show and not hard to follow for anyone new to the ‘Verse.

–Amanda Sheriff